Blissfield football team falls in LCAA showdown

HILLSDALE — While Hillsdale High School football team's offense brought it back against Blissfield, it was two late interceptions that gave it control of the LCAA with a 28-13 win.

Hillsdale scored 21 unanswered points to take a 21-13 lead in the fourth quarter, but the Royals were driving late down the field with a chance to tie the game.

Inside the 10-yard line, Blissfield quarterback Luke Cassaubon was flushed out of the pocket and threw under duress, only to be picked off by Kyle Bernard at the 5-yard line with 1:58 remaining.

Hillsdale went three and out, and Blissfield faced fourth down at midfield. Cassaubon dropped back and fired, but Jimmy Chase intercepted the pass and took it 56 yards for a touchdown, sealing the game with 8.6 seconds remaining.

"They're a very good football team; they run the trap well," said Hillsdale coach Marc Lemerand. "They moved the ball well, but we kept them out of the end zone."

The win moves Hillsdale to 6-0, clinching a berth in the playoffs. At 4-0, they are the only undefeated team left in LCAA.

Blissfield controlled the game early, scoring the game's first touchdown with 0.9 seconds left in the first quarter. Cassaubon hit Dakota Suiter on a play-action wheel route into the corner of the end zone, and Blissfield took a 7-0 lead.

Hillsdale quarterback Kenton McCosh fumbled on the next drive, and Blissfield recovered. After converting a key fourth down at the Hillsdale 19, Cassaubon would score on a 1-yard touchdown run and the extra point was no good. The Royals led 13-0 with 5:59 left in the second.

Things changed from there, as Hillsdale put together its first successful drive of the game, culminating in 10-yard touchdown pass from McCosh to Chase. Blissfield led 13-7 going into the half after a drive stalled inside the Hillsdale 10-yard line.

The Hornets received and immediately took the lead, scoring on a 4-yard run by McCosh to go up 14-13.

"They made a nice adjustment with their option. We had trouble stopping it," said Blissfield coach Ron Estes. "They run it as well as anyone we see."

The Royals took it down the field, only to have the drive stall again. They tried a field goal, only to have it blocked by Hillsdale's Marshal Hammel.

Hillsdale took possession near their own end zone with 2:07 left in the third quarter. Their drive continued into the fourth, when Brandon McMullen broke through with his first big run of the day, a 57-yard touchdown run sprung by a block by Shawn Miller.

"I thought early on, we shot ourselves in the foot," Lemerand said. "It wasn't for a lack of effort. After that, we settled down. We just changed up the blocking scheme, and who we were going to option out on the edge."

Armed with a 21-13 lead, the teams traded possession until Bernard's pick late.

That red zone failure, combined with the blocked field goal and the halftime-halted drive, made the difference, Estes said.

Now, the Royals fall to 3-3 and 3-1 in the LCAA, needing to win out to automatically qualify for the playoffs.

"You can only do it one at a time," Estes said. "Every game's like the playoffs, whether you like it or not."

McMullen had another big night, carrying 16 times for 167 yards. McCosh had 10 carries for 53 yards and a score, while going 7-for-11 passing for 103 yards a touchdown. Chase had two catches for 56 yards.

Cassaubon was 6-for-15 passing for 65 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Brad Lietzke had 20 carries for 126 yards, Lee Keinath had 22 carries for 108 yards, and Suiter had four catches for 45 yards, while carrying four times for 22 yards.

Blissfield takes on Erie Mason next week, while Hillsdale travels to Ida.